


Diary of a mermaid on a pirate ship

by SakuPenguin



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Injury, Eventual something, Gen, I´ll add tags when this avance aksdasf, Kidnapping, Magic, Multi, Pirate AU, Violence, kageyama is a bitch, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26738098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuPenguin/pseuds/SakuPenguin
Summary: HIATUS(I´m sorry, I know that anyone is reading this but I need some time to rest before continuing)Sakuma Jirou grew up on the coral reef, until Teikoku threw his nets into the sea, hunting a mermaidAfter that, his life turned upside down
Relationships: Genda Koujirou & Kidou Yuuto, Sakuma Jirou & Genda Koujirou, Sakuma Jirou & Kidou Yuuto
Comments: 10
Kudos: 9





	1. The arrival

**Author's Note:**

> My 1st multichapter.......ahhhhhhhhhhhh  
> okay I´m so so so happy about it  
> The whole thing is done so I´ll update on Thursday  
> I´m going to post whit no beta, so... if there´s some big mistakes I´m so so sorry.....  
> Now...let´s begin

He didn't even see the nets coming. Before he knew it, he was surrounded and caught between those ropes that dragged him to the surface. He tried to struggle, but it didn't help. His claws couldn't cut them; they just got more and more tangled each time. He came out of the water suddenly and only then saw the boat; he had been too distracted looking for his sister among the reef that he hadn’t even noticed the shadow crossing the sea above them.

They were pirates, yes, but he knew who they were. Teikoku. The hunters. One of the most feared ships. Older mermaids always warned them about their existence; they had always been the ghost stories told to mermaids when they were young. When they were just kids. Like him. Like his brothers and, at that moment, as the net rose and his body slammed against the ship's wood, while his claws tried to cling to its surface, he was only able to think of his brothers, begging for them to have managed to flee.

When the net hit the deck hard, he didn't have time to think. They jumped on it and tried to attack. He was biting, scratching or hitting them with his tail, anything as long as he could run away, but he couldn't, nothing worked. There were too many of them. They were strong. And he was just a kid, he couldn't even scream. He was too young and there was no way for his voice to sink a ship like that. He had no power to drown all those men. Maybe he could get one to throw himself overboard, and his song might drown a few, but it wouldn't save him.

Someone put a collar on him, a heavy chain that reeked of magic. But it wasn't the magic of his people; it was the rotten, dark magic that humans had created. His throat was burning, and his voice disappeared. Those humans weren't going to take any chances, much less with the voice of a mermaid.

He hated the feeling of wood against his scales. When he was dragged again, he could feel the splinters sticking into his skin. They were moving him without any care, without caring about hurting him. They put more chains on him, also filled with that disgusting magic that made his stomach churn, on his wrists and tied the chain to the wall, to where he couldn't even lower his arms.

He just wanted to cry. A horrible fear was growing in his chest. He hadn't even noticed the pain in his face, nor the blood, and he couldn't see. His right eye refused to open in the same way that his voice refused to come out.

One hand roughly grabbed his hair and pulled. He was forced to look at that man and his crooked smile. The demon had a dagger in his hand, and he knew it was he who had cut him, he was the captain. A ruthless, cruel being who spoke to him; he could tell by the way he shouted orders at the rest of the crew. The captain laughed at him, at his pain and his fear.

He was just a kid. He was ten years old. Sakuma Jirou was ten years old when the pirates hunted him down.

* * *

There was a leak in the room, some loose board, and he could hear the droplets hitting the wood. The ship creaked around him and he had lost track of time. They hadn’t come to see him again; they hadn't brought him water or food. The blood had dried up and his whole body was hurting. Then, suddenly, the door opened and two figures appeared. They looked blurry; he had already assumed that his right eye wasn't going to work.

They approached him slowly, and Sakuma bared his teeth at them, hissing like a cornered animal. He was not going to hesitate to bite and fight. Maybe against those two he would have a chance, since they were also children; they looked no older than Sakuma. The one in the back was tall, wearing a large jacket, and the other one’s boots seemed huge for his body. They were children playing pirates, really. Sakuma hadn't expected that from the famous Teikoku. Much less did he expect to understand the shorter one when he opened his mouth.

He knew that magicians knew his language; schools of sorcery and arcana used their language to summon torrents, for any kind of aquatic magic. Books had been written to be able to translate that strange language to the rest of the world. Many mermaids had taken human form to be teachers in those schools. But it was more typical of magical beings, not humans. Much less pirates.

His language sounded very strange on the child's lips; they were sounds that were not made for the human voice, that did not fit, but Sakuma could understand him, he knew what he was saying trying to string concepts together.

"You should turn human," the boy had red eyes. Every part of him was strange and he didn't look human. "You don't want to dry out."

Sakuma didn't answer. He just bared his teeth again. But he knew that was true, he could feel his scales creaking when he moved. And it hurt. He had fallen asleep in the sun as a child, curled up on rocks near his family's grotto. He had never felt such a horrible feeling and did not want to repeat it under any circumstances, so he obeyed.

He changed shape slowly, he hadn’t done it in a long time. The feeling of having legs was foreign to him. He only knew how to shrink in on himself, pull his knees to his chest and tremble. He was cold. He felt more naked and vulnerable than before.

It was then that the other boy approached, carried a bucket in his hands and crouched down next to him. Sakuma's first instinct was to kick him, but he had no strength, nor did he know how to control his legs, so he did nothing. The boy's blue eyes looked at him with sorrow; Sakuma didn't understand what he was saying, so he must have been talking to the red-eyed one.

"We came to clean your wounds. Let us help you," Sakuma looked at them before nodding. He didn't trust them, they were strange and dangerous, but he also knew he had no choice. "I'm Kidou, and this is Genda."

He wasn't interested in their names, so he looked away, and he didn't want to say his. He wouldn't have even been able to talk. Genda cleaned his wounds with a cloth and the water he had brought, slowly and carefully, as if he was really worried about not harming Sakuma, as if he were really more than just a mermaid, a captured monster.

When Genda finished, he took off his jacket and got rid of the chains on the wall. Kidou screamed and tried to stop him. The boys were fighting in whispered screams, as if no one could know they were there, helping him, and Sakuma thought that maybe that's what was going on. His arms tingled after so long, and he moved his bare shoulders and sighed. He felt a little better, a little lonely.

Then Genda took off his jacket and left it on Sakuma’s shoulders, turned to look at him and smiled.

"The nights on the ship are cold, so you'll be better off like this," Kidou's voice was starting to sound less strange. "Genda wants to let you go, but we can't, so we’ll tie the chain to your ankle. You understand what I mean?”

Sakuma nodded. Anything before he was practically hung up like a trophy again. They looked at him with grief as they tied the chain and put away the stuff they had brought. He looked at them confusedly and with his head tilted; he didn't know whether to thank them or just let them go. He tried to talk, but the chain around his neck stopped him from getting any words out. The boys smiled before they left, closing the door carefully behind them. Sakuma curled up in the jacket, warming up his body as he got used to his new shape. He looked at his feet as he tried to move his toes, felt the tingling, and rested his chin on his knees.

He had only become human once, years ago. Maybe now he had something to distract himself with while he waited for something else to happen.

The men came in and out of the room. They brought him the right amount of food and cups of water that weren’t even half full, as if they were afraid he was going to do something to them if they gave him more of it. As if he was a powerful mermaid and not just a kid.

But if he was really strong, he wouldn’t be there. He would have sunk that ship to the bottom of the sea for the corals to use as a home, but Sakuma didn't have the power. He was just a kid, and as such, he couldn't do anything when, rather than the pirates bringing food to his cell, they brought punches and screams.

The next person who walked into his cell was alone. He was the blue-eyed boy. Genda.

He closed the door behind himself slowly and, with that silly smile on his face, approached the corner against which Sakuma was huddled silently. He carried a tray of food in his hands and left it by his side, pushing it closer to the mermaid and nodding to confirm that he had permission to eat. Sakuma soon grabbed the pieces of meat with trembling hands. He was starving; he hadn't tasted a bite for days. He had been punished after biting one of the pirates.

The sailor's fingers hadn’t done much for his hunger.

He was so focused on his food that he didn't notice the other child's hands around his neck until it was too late. He tried to push him away, but he was weak and only managed to get him a little off balance. He could hear him speak, but he didn't understand any of his words. Genda held his shoulders and forced him to look at him. There was no malice in those big, innocent eyes. Only then did Sakuma realize that he was also listening to something else.

His voice.

He had taken the collar off. He had regained his voice. He brought his hands to his throat; he could feel the marks that the chain had left behind. When he looked at Genda, the other boy had closed his eyes, frowning and biting his lip. Sakuma held his hand and rested the child's palm against his chest. Genda opened an eye, staring confusedly at the mermaid.

He had thought that Sakuma would throw himself at him, that he would sing to throw him overboard and into a certain death. Genda didn't expect this. When the mermaid spoke, he only uttered one word. Hard and sharp. His voice was hoarse, but it was still as sweet as that of all the mermaids. A poisonous caress.

"Sakuma," was all he said, as he rested Genda's hand against his skin. "Sakuma Jirou."

A name. That must have been his name. The mermaid was not only forgiving his life, but was also giving him a name. Genda nodded excited and happy, a smile back on his face. He took his fingers to his lips, closing them with a gesture that he hoped Sakuma would understand. A secret. He wasn’t going to tell anyone except Kidou; he had to tell him for when they would talk to Sakuma. But the rest of the ship couldn't know. They had no right after what they had done. Much less Kageyama. He wasn't planning on letting such a pretty name end up on that man's lips.

Sakuma smiled a little at the boy's happiness, sharp teeth peeking out of his lips. Maybe that wasn't so bad. Maybe he had a friend in Genda and Kidou. Maybe they were willing to help. But it was to be seen. For now he only knew that he was still starving, so he kept eating, with Genda by his side, who had to put the collar back on when he finished changing his bandages.

He closed the door behind him with a smile and waved goodbye with his hand, happy and cheerful despite the situation, despite being a child in the cruelest crew in the world.

That night he was able to sleep for the first time since he had been taken onto that ship.

* * *

It didn't take long for him to find out why he was on that ship.

A few nights after Genda's visit, the pirates entered his cell and dragged him out. He did not know how to use his legs to lean on the unstable ground of the ship, so he just let the men take him.

He couldn't help but get excited when the sea breeze hit his face, when the smell of salt enveloped him and he could see the moon for the first time in weeks. He felt tears running down his cheek and for a second thought that maybe they would release him, that that nightmare was over, but they only took him to the center of the deck. Kidou waited there, the man who had blinded his right eye at his side, tall and imposing.

"The captain needs your help," he still wasn’t used to that child's voice. "If you do it, you’ll get a reward."

Sakuma looked at the man in fury and bared his fangs. He had no intention of helping. One of the men twisted his arm and he turned around to bite him, but they threw him to the ground before he could do anything. The man's weight on his body crushed him against the deck.

"We just want you to guide us through some reefs… please, if you do, maybe they'll stop hurting you..." Kidou sounded worried. "If you want to be treated better you have to obey. I can make it so that only Genda and I come to see you, but for that you have to behave…”

Sakuma nodded, desperate to breathe again. His lungs were burning from the lack of air.

They put another collar around his neck, heavy and thick metal, with a chain tied up. He felt himself sink under the weight. They put him on a boat, Kidou and the man who had cut his face next to him, speaking things Sakuma didn't understand, but Kidou repeated them in his language.

"You have to drag the ship through the best possible path. We need the ship to be able to follow us. Do you understand?"

Sakuma nodded, before getting rid of Genda's jacket, desperate to enter the water, recovering his real body after those horrible days. He felt every muscle burn as he moved his tail slowly, checking to see if he wasn’t hurt. The salt water burned the bruises that were still on his arms, but it was comforting. Kidou looked at him with a quiet smile.

"Do it and this week you will have food every night, I will make sure of it... Come on..."

Sakuma knew he could crash the ship into the rocks, take it the wrong way. But Genda and Kidou didn't deserve that, nor did the other kids on the boat, so he moved underwater and did his job, dragging the boat with all his might. He always stood ahead, fighting the currents.

He'd have food. He would earn a place among those people. He would be useful and... then he could get revenge. But for now, for now, he would guide them wherever they wanted, do what the pirates wanted. He only hoped that none of them would notice his true intentions, that they would be naive enough to believe that they had subdued him.

Humans. Sakuma smiled as he returned to his cell with steaming food in his hands.

They were idiots.


	2. Second Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakuma discovers the true about Teikoku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...second chapter here we go!!

The pirates were not kind creatures and, despite their captain's word and Kidou's attempts to prevent it, they continued to invade Sakuma's cell. They spent hours laughing at the mermaid, emptying bottles of rum over him. Sakuma hated that smell. He hated feeling so small. But he couldn't do anything; he didn't feel capable. He was too afraid of the consequences...

In that dark, cold place, the only consolation was the presence of Kidou and Genda.

The only moments when he was a little happier were when Genda and Kidou visited, bandages and food always in their hands. They sat together, gathered at a prudent distance, and spoke to him, with Kidou acting as an intermediary and Genda never not smiling. They were crazy, like everyone else on that ship.

Sakuma still remembered the early days, when Genda let go of him and offered his hands, looking at him in that kind and quiet way. At first, he had not wanted his help. He refused to trust that pirate despite the times he had accepted food from his hands and had let him bandage his wounds.

It took weeks before he accepted and Genda helped him to his feet without difficulty. With a smile, he began to move, and Sakuma fell to his knees. The boy apologized... and Sakuma finally understood what Genda wanted from him. So, with determination shining in his eyes, he stood slowly, clinging to Genda, and took a step. His legs were shaking. He couldn't control himself, but the boy was holding him and never dropped him again.

Kidou always watched them in silence, sitting in a corner of the cell. He had stopped protesting when Genda let go of the mermaid knew he wouldn't listen to him, and he knew he didn't care either. After all, Sakuma was something like a friend. Over time the three were more confident about it.

Sakuma confirmed his theory the day Kidou came in with books in his hands.

* * *

That day it wasn't Genda or Kidou who entered the cell. It was a kid he'd never seen before. Black eyes and hair so long that it dragged behind him on the floor. Sakuma could recognize that smell, that feeling he conveyed: earthly magic. Probably a fairy. What Sakuma didn't understand was what a fairy was doing on the ship.

The boy set the tray of food next to Sakuma, looking at him without fear. He was a magical being. He expected the lack of surprise. He didn't even move when Sakuma held up his hand, moving his arm carefully, slowly brushing the marks on the boy's arm. Deep black cracks. A pact.

He couldn't see the boy's expression too well with a mask covering his mouth. But it was clear that Teikoku was no longer just mermaid-hunting. The boy put his hand on Sakuma's cheek, on top of a cut that was still bleeding. He felt the energy run through his skin, a pleasant tingling, and the boy's eyes turned green. When he got up and left, Sakuma was left wondering what had just happened. It had been magic. Pure and authentic magic. Not like Kageyama's. He hasn’t felt anything like this in years... it felt good. It was a nice feeling. He was just hoping that that kid would have a better future on the ship.

Teikoku's crew was strange; a mix of children and adults running up and down the ship. The men, Genda had explained to him, were faithful to the captain. They lived by and for him for so long that some looked like ghosts. That's why he'd started recruiting kids; he needed spare parts for when his old crew died. And he needed to train them from the beginning.

Sakuma hadn't seen too much from the other children. One brought him food at some point, shaking and looking at him in fear. There was another who entered without fear despite being smaller than the others, his purple hair a mess, and smiling as if visiting a friend. It also gave Sakuma a strange feeling. He was sure most of those kids had magic in their veins, in some way or another.

Sakuma didn't understand them. During the day he just wanted to sleep and disappear from that place, to exist as little as possible. He had met them little by little; in his evening talks with Genda and Kidou he had asked about them and why they didn't leave despite the way the rest of the pirates treated them. Sakuma had heard the screams, had seen the children's wounds. He didn't understand what they were doing there, why they didn't run away as soon as they set foot on a dock. Kidou had said it was more complicated than that.

* * *

There was a new moon. Sakuma was sure of it. He felt exhausted and the light in the cell was scarce. The few stars shining in the sky were the only thing that illuminated the room. He stuck his claws back into the wall, one more mark. He didn't know how much longer he'd last to mark the months he'd been there, when he would get tired and lose faith. But for the time being, Sakuma would keep counting.

He had been guiding these pirates north for months through icy waters that cut off his circulation when he swam, kept shaking and curling up on himself, the cold draining what little energy was left in his body.

The noise of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts and Genda entered the cell, staggering and full of wounds. Sakuma crawled towards him, but Genda gestured at him to stop, and it was he who walked to the wall, using it as support before sitting next to the mermaid and giving him a tired smile.

Sakuma's hand rested on Genda's cheek, careful not to do him any more harm. The boy was full of bruises, his left eye so swollen that Sakuma doubted he could see anything. When Genda rested his hand on his, Sakuma felt him calm down, little by little. Genda was alive. His friend was hurt, but fine. Genda stroked his hair and said something in the language of humans. Sakuma still didn't understand. Human words became tangled in his tongue and he couldn't understand what they meant.

"Fine."

It was the only thing he could understand of everything Genda was saying. He was fine... And that was good. So, Sakuma snuggled up against the human in search of warmth, like every night. He hugged Genda carefully. He wasn't sure if there could be any injuries under his clothes, but he preferred to be careful.

Then he heard it. He recognized that scream immediately.

They were the screams of mermaids. It was the sound of their voices asking for help and shutting up at once.

Sakuma threw himself against the cell door, suddenly pushing Genda away, desperate when the chain did not let him advance further and he fell to the ground. His hands clung to the chain and pulled with all his might, desperate and with tears soaking his face. He had to help them. He had to get out of there. He pulled harder. He wanted to scream, but his voice was still dead. Genda quickly stood by his side, holding Sakuma's shoulders tightly, trying to make him look into his eyes. Sakuma didn't understand what Genda was saying. He just wanted to get out of there. He tried to push Genda back, but the boy stood his ground, hugging him and preventing him from hurting himself.

More voices calling for help that stopped suddenly, mingled with the laughter of the pirates. It smelled like blood and Sakuma kept shaking, scared to death. When the door slammed open, someone kicked Genda down and Sakuma tried to throw himself at Kageyama, but his men held his arms and slammed him into the ground.

"Thank you."

Sakuma recognized that word. He had heard it too many times; whenever they pulled him out of the water to throw him back into his cell and always loaded with the same taunt. Kageyama's boot was on his neck. It was drenched in blood. The man laughed and Sakuma couldn't stop crying. He squeezed harder, until the mermaid stopped stirring. Genda stood by his side, trying to push the man's leg away from the mermaid, not caring about the blood that was running down his face. But Kageyama's men held Sakuma, dragging him to the deck. Then Kageyama walked away, giving orders to the men.

They forced him to stand, dropping the chain from the wall and dragging him after the captain, back to the deck.

Kidou was there, the purple-haired boy clinging to his coat. Genda was still bleeding, but he hid another child, even smaller, behind his back. Everyone was shaking. They were afraid. And Sakuma finally understood what had happened.

There were six mermaids lying on the deck of the ship. There were clean cuts in their throats and tangled ropes on their bodies. Reef mermaids. Easy to hunt... if you knew how to get to them. Sakuma's legs suddenly felt weak. It all made sense now. That's why they left him alive. That's why they kept a mermaid alive in that cell. He was a hunting dog. He had become a murderer of his own people; his desperation to stay alive had caused that. Months of travel finally made sense. So long looking for something that wasn't chests full of gold coins.

A hand got tangled in his hair to force him to look, not to look away from that scene. Mermaid hunters. The worst kind of pirate. And he was locked up with them. Kageyama smiled at him, but it was Kidou's voice that reached his ears. It was cold as usual, but Sakuma could sense the fear. Like he was just a scared kid trying not to break.

"Keep obeying and... the Southern Isles will be free. We... we won't hunt in that area. Your family will be safe."

Genda was as pale as a dead man, his fists clenched so tightly that he dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands. They looked at him with sorrow and fear, all of them. Sakuma just wanted to scream, cry and sink forever into the water. He had killed his own. He was just a murderer, just a coward who hated himself even more when he stared into Kageyama's eyes and nodded.

Anything but his family, they could not touch them... He could never go back home after what he was doing. But at least they'd be alive. That was all that mattered.


	3. Fourth year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakuma is tired of this shit, so he try something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is here!! I wish someone would enjoy it!!

That night when Kidou and Genda visited and had taken off his collar, he stole the key from them. They didn't even notice when he had started singing, too dazed for something like that. He'd have time to apologize later.

He ripped the key out of Kidou's hands, who stared at some point on the wall with no intention of moving. When he stood, trembling and leaning against the wall, he felt his nerves invading his body. He could do that. He could be free. He could jump overboard and run away, but... when he looked over his shoulder, he saw his friends. The only two people who had helped him over those years.

He knew the rest would be sleeping in the same cabin, glued to each other, sharing an impossible space for the nearly eleven children they were. He couldn't risk letting them be punished because of him. He wasn't even sure if he was in the condition to flee, and there was only one way to stop that from going on. He didn't intend to allow any more cries of mermaids on that ship.

He advanced in the shadows and passed in front of the kids´ cabin. They slept leaning against each other, huddled in search of warmth. Sakuma could see the black marks on most of them, deep as cracks. He didn't even want to imagine Kageyama's appearance under the sleeves of his coat. That man was a broken statue, with the scars of so many pacts branded with fire on his skin.

Sakuma kept advancing, leaning against the ship's railing. Kageyama kept looking at the areas he was passing through. He knew he was there and waited with a serious face, as if he were a stone statue. He heard the footsteps of Genda and Kidou; they had woken up. They were going to stop him, but it was too late.

He looked Kageyama in the eyes, fury and rage on his face. When he spoke, when human words left his lips, he felt almost wrong. They didn't fit his voice; they didn't have the same phonemes. But he needed to do it.

"No," Kageyama smiled sideways, mocking him. "I'm not going to... bring you more mermaids."

The man laughed. His long fingers, almost claws instead of human hands, held his face tightly.

"Insolent child... who made you think you have a choice?" Nails dug into his skin, but Sakuma didn't look away. "Do you want me to blind you completely?"

The knife approached his left eye, but Sakuma still didn’t move. Genda and Kidou watched from the side, clinging to each other to avoid doing something stupid or interfering.

"I want a... I want... A deal. A pact."

Kageyama laughed. It was such a cold sound that he felt a shiver down his back.

"Why should I listen to you? You're owned by Teikoku. You're not a crew member. You don't have a mother sick of you willing to sell you, or brothers who hate you. You don't even have someone to sacrifice yourself for..."

Sakuma closed his eyes, thinking about the stories Kidou had told. How Sakiyama was sold by his own mother for being born without a voice. How Kenya's family had earned a new house in exchange for handing over their son... horrible and cruel pacts... Sakuma didn't want to think about how those kids must have felt. Abandoned and alone. He couldn't be a coward. Not for much longer.

The man let go of him and turned his back on him, walking away from him.

"I want to! I want to... be part of Teikoku. I want to be... a pirate."

Kidou held his arm, trying to drag him off the deck.

"Quiet! He's going to kill you If you keep going like that."

"I'll give you my name!" Kidou froze. Kageyama turned to look at him. "Power... the names... they have power... I'll give... I'll give mine... But... I want a deal."

"What's going on? Kidou! Kidou, what does he mean… why… why is his name important…?” Genda seemed frightened, less accustomed to magic and its laws... Kidou's red eyes met his own.

"The name of a magic creature will... bind you to it. If... if he gives him his name... the commander will be able to... know his language... understand his spells... It's... complex... but..."

"You'll be stronger. But. A pact. I want a pact..." Sakuma hit the ground hard, staring at Kageyama angrily, as if he weren't a mere child.

"What do you want in return? What could a monster like you want?" He hit his forehead with a finger as he laughed like that again. "Go ahead, ask. I'm still coming out as the winner… so who cares?"

And he held out that hand with long fingers, the claws of a demon. But before sealing anything, Sakuma cut the palm of his right hand quickly and forcefully, showing no pain in his face as blood hit the ground.

"Blood pact. No traps."

He was just a kid, fourteen years old, but he had seen his mother make hundreds of pacts. She was the leader of her colony. She was responsible for making deals with humans and warlocks, unbreakable seals. Sakuma had her blood in his veins, her magic. He could do it. He could get rid of his chains.

Kageyama hesitated before making a slight cut in his palm and grabbing his hand, squeezing harder than necessary, a macabre smile on his lips.

When the ribbon of light wrapped around their hands, Genda could not hold back a sound of astonishment, clinging more tightly to Kidou.

"I will be part of Teikoku, one more pirate." Kageyama looked back at him.

"I accept."

"The blood pact breaks if one of us fails to do his part."

"I know the rules."

"You will gain my power in exchange for a name. I will sink ships and put my voice and power at the service of this ship." Sakuma's voice sounded deeper with every word, as if it echoed in a cave of depths, black consuming the orange glow of his eyes.

"The agreement will not be broken until the death of the one of us."

This time it was Sakuma who held the hand of the man with all his might and Kidou swore he heard a crack.

"In the name of the runes and arcane, I link the power of my name and the names of my family to the captain of this ship."

"Give me your name. At once, child. Don't try my patience."

"From here until my death, blood bond... broken by my blood or my sisters'. In the name of the Sakuma family of the South Islands, Teikoku will not hunt any more mermaids, we will be free and you will have the power."

"Insolent child..." Kageyama gritted his teeth. "But it's fine, no more mermaids. Give me your name.”

"Sakuma. Sakuma Jirou."

The ribbon exploded into a halo of light, fragments enveloping Sakuma and Kageyama. The pact had been sealed and the scars on his hands were deep black cracks. Genda ran to his side, holding Sakuma before his body hit the ground, trembling and pale, as if that magic trick had consumed all his energy.

Sakuma rested his head against Genda's shoulder and Kidou crouched next to him as well, putting his hand on his forehead carefully.

"He’s burning up... Take him to rest-"

"Yuuto. With me." Kageyama's voice oozed with fury as he turned on his heels to head to his cabin. "I want to talk to you."

Genda looked at his friend with fear in his eyes, but Kidou only nodded and Genda stood up, Sakuma in his arms, unconscious and with labored breathing.

He still couldn't understand what had happened, but while looking for Sakiyama to ask for help with the mermaid, he couldn't help looking at Sakuma's peaceful face. The mermaid smiled in his sleep and, though only a little, the weight on Genda's shoulders vanished. Maybe it was all starting to work out.

* * *

He entered the room slowly and confusedly. He did not understand how he had succeeded, how he had managed to get rid of those horrible chains and be free, or at least a little more free. After four years of living in that cell...

Genda and Kidou's cabin was small and humid, like everything else on that ship. Two beds were attached to the walls and there was some more furniture. The kids didn't seem to need too much either. Sakuma leaned against the wall, as it was still hard to trust his legs, to approach the strangest object he had ever seen.

It was a flat surface, attached to one of the walls. When he got closer, he couldn't help but hold onto Kidou, afraid, pointing to the strange object. Looking from the smooth surface towards his friends, now there was a copy of them, looking at him from the object. Sakuma hid behind Kidou, peeking out to see if the copies were still there. Genda laughed, approaching the wall and resting his hand on that thing.

Nothing happened. He did not cross its surface or get caught up in another reality. Kidou held Sakuma slowly, causing him to stand in front of him.

"Have you never seen a mirror?" Genda's voice was full of laughter. Sakuma looked at him with a tilted head, confused. He did not know what that word meant despite the hours they had spent together in his old cell, teaching him the language of humans.

He shook his head slowly and looked again at the smooth, shiny surface. That was him. It had to be. Sakuma had never seen his reflection with such clarity, had never seen himself that way. The reflections on the surface of the water were the only thing he'd had when he lived with his family, and he hadn't even had anything like this in the years he’d spent locked up. He knew he looked like his mother, everyone said, but that was different.

He let go of Kidou's coat sleeve, to which he had still been clinging, and walked slowly to the mirror, Genda stepping aside to make room for him. The reflection moved with him. He raised a hand and that boy imitated him at the same time. He jumped and the figure in the mirror jumped as well. He got so close that his nose collided with the surface, and he suddenly turned away, taking a hand to his face. It was cold, it was strange. He held his hand slowly against the surface, just as Genda had done. Nothing happened to him either. He was still intact, and his arm didn't disappear.

His reflection was that of a thin child, one of those abandoned boys who swam alone on the reef. He had a face and shoulders full of freckles lighter than his skin, and the eye that was not hidden under scars was orange and bright. He actually resembled his mother, from his dark skin to the shape of his nose. But his mother had the darkest black hair he had ever seen and Sakuma's hair was almost white, one of the few things he knew of his appearance. It shone as he swam under the moon, near the surface. He remembered that it was the reason his mother always asked him to stay in the background, to not endanger himself. It was ironic to think of them while trapped on a pirate ship, to think about how little his parents' advice had served him in the end.

"I am... me..." It was still strange to have a new voice, even more so to use it to speak like a human and not as a mermaid.

"Yeah, see? I told you that you were very handsome." Genda had a playful smile on his lips and Sakuma felt the heat rising to his cheeks. He saw his reflection turn red and seem frustrated. He waved his hand again in front of the mirror. He liked that. It looked like magic... and Sakuma missed magic a lot.

"This is your room, now... You'll have to share, but it's still better than what you had before." Kidou had taken one of the boxes in the room and started filling it with different items.

“Aren't… aren’t you going to stay?” Kidou stepped closer and put a hand on his head, lovingly ruffling it.

"The commander will leave the ship... so I am now the 'captain' and I will keep his cabin. You can keep my bed; you deserve a decent place."

Sakuma looked at him in amazement and Genda laughed again, holding him to drag him to one of the beds and push him to sit down.

"You don't have many things yet, but as you get them you can leave them wherever you want. You sleep there and this is my bed. We're roommates now."

Something in Genda's smile made his heart speed up, nervous but happy. He couldn’t avoid the little smile that occupied his face as he laid down, hugging the pillow tightly and hiding his face in it. It felt like going back to the dunes or to his mother's arms, comfortable and reassuring. He had missed feeling that way.

One of them put a blanket over him and pulled the hair away from his face. He hadn't even noticed how tired he was. But with the murmur of the sea in the background, Kidou and Genda speaking in whispers, and the certainty that he was now one more on that ship, Sakuma fell asleep, still smiling, and feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.


End file.
